Lower units for marine propulsion devices commonly include a drive shaft which is rotatably supported in a drive shaft housing and which drives a propeller through a gearing arrangement mounted in a gear case housing connected to the lower end of the drive shaft housing. A propeller shaft is rotatably supported in one or more bearings carried by a bearing carrier member supported from and anchored to the interior of the gearcase housing.
One prior art arrangement for supporting and anchoring the bearing carrier member in the gearcase housing is illustrated in the Johnson et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,937,093, issued Feb. 10, 1976.
For reference to other prior art means for securing a member interiorly of a housing, attention is directed to the Beemer U.S. Pat. No. 1,751,453, issued Mar. 18, 1930; the Okner et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,052,108, issued Aug. 25, 1936; the Delaval-Crow U.S. Pat. No. 2,136,125, issued Nov. 8, 1938; and the Hollerith U.S. Pat. No. 2,226,511, issued Dec. 24, 1940.
Attention is also directed to the Eastman U.S. Pat. No. 2,772,929, issued Dec. 4, 1956; the Schaefer U.S. Pat. No. 2,837,382, issued June 3, 1958; the Forrest U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,695, issued Jan. 6, 1976; the Gardner U.S. Pat. No. 3,934,952, issued Jan. 27, 1976; and the Herlitzek U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,168, issued Feb. 6, 1979.